In the last years, a lot of large unidentified sea creatures have appeard on ocean surface through the world. Canada's most famous water monster is Ogopogo of Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia. Although Native legends talk about a monster living in Okanagan Lake long before white men arrived in this country, Ogopogo is really misterious and curious. Each year, sightings are reported of a creature some 20 to 50 feet long, with a horse shaped head and an undulating serpent like body! Okanagan Lake is about 80 miles long extending from Vernon, in the north, to Penticton, in the south, with the fast growing city of Kelowna, in the centre. Sightings have been reported throughout the length of the lake, but the monster appears to favour an area in the south of Kelowna, in waters near Peachland.
The first recorded sighting by a non-native was by Mrs. John Allison in 1872 and they continue until this day, with many credible and rational people that become absolute believers. Over the ages, legends and first-hand accounts both lead to the conjecture that the lake is not only populated by fish and other common animals!
Native Indian folklore specifically places the lair of the lake monster which they called N'ha-a-itk, or lake demon, at a cave under Squally Point near Rattlesnake Island, which is offshore from Peachland. The Natives always take offerings with them when they go on a canoe near this area, because too often a storm springs up and N'ha-a-itk would rise out of the waters to claim another life!
When white settlers first came to this area in the mid of 1800s, they weren't superstitious, but gradually changed their views troughtout a lot of sightings of the monster. An early instance tells of two horses swimming behind a boat, that were mysteriously pulled beneath the waves and the owner barely saving himself by cutting the rope attached to the horses! Today's sightings, often from modern power boats, indicate a much friendlier monster but still very large in size. It has been filmed a number of times and although a lot of people agree there was something in the water, no absolute conclusions have been made. It is usually reported as dark blue, black or brown with a lighter underside. It can move with astounding speed but many sightings in calm weather have been made of the creature apparently feeding on either fish or aquatic weeds. People very close, between 50 and 100 feet, report seeing fins or feet on the animal.
The Ouimet canyon
Omett was a good giant and helped Nanabijou when he wished to raise a mountain or make a new lake. Omett fell in love with Naiomi, Nanabijou's daughter. Naiomi liked Omett and encouraged him to display his strength.
One day Omett was moving a mountain when a peak broke off, struck Naiomi and killed her. Greatly afraid of the wrath of Nanabijou, Omett hid Naiomi's body in a shallow lake and covered it with a rock shield.
Searching for Naiomi, Nanabijou was striding over the great shield when he felt vibrations from under the rocks. Reaching into the sky, he grasped a thunderbolt and drove it into the rocks, splitting them. In the wide canyon he discovered his daughter's body. Nanabijou buried Naiomi at the bottom of the canyon.
From her grave grew the rare and beautiful flowers found only there. To punish Omett, Nanabijou turned him into a stone and placed him on the canyon wall to watch over the grave for eternity. Looking out across the waters of Thunder Bay, one can see a great land formation situated directly at the mouth of the Bay. It requires no imagination whatever to see that this form resembles the sleeping body of a giant, arms folded across his massive chest as in the majesty of death.
Mystery and legend surround the origin of this strange phenomenon of nature and down through the ages the following story seems to have survived.
The Silver Islet
On an island just outside Thunder Bay, now known as "Isle Royale", once lived a great tribe of Ojibway Natives. Because of their loyalty to their Gods, and their peaceful and industrious mode of living, Nanabijou, the Spirit of the Deep Sea Water, decided to reward them. One day he called their Chief to his great Thunder Temple on the mountain and warned him that if he told the secret to the white man, Nanabijou would be turned to a stone and the Ojibway tribe perish. The Chief gave his promise, and Nanabijou told him of the rich silver mine, now known as "Silver Islet".
The Great Spirit told him to go to the highest point on Thunder Cape, and here he would find the entrance to a tunnel that would lead him to the centre of the mine.
Apparently the Chief and his people found the mine, for the Ojibway became famous for their beautiful silver ornaments.
So beautiful indeed were they, that the Sioux warriors on seeing them upon their wounded enemies, strove to wrest their secret from them. However, torture and even death failed to make the gallant Ojibway divulge their secret and the Sioux chieftains had to devise another scheme to find the source of the Ojibway silver. One day they summoned their most cunning scout and a plan was formed.
The scout was to enter the Ojibway camp disguised as one of them. In a few days succeded in learning the secret of the island of silver. Going to the mine at night he took several large pieces of the precious metal in order to prove to his chieftain that he had fulfilled his mission. The scout however never returned to his camp, for on his way back he stopped at a white traders' post to purchase some food. Having no furs or money with which to pay for the goods, he used a piece of the silver. Seeing such a large piece of the gleaming metal, two white men sought to obtain the whereabouts of its source, in order to make themselves very rich. After filling the Sioux scout with alcohol they persuaded him to show them to the mine.
When almost in sight of "Silver Islet" a terrific storm broke over the Cape. The white men were drowned and the Native was found in a crazed condition floating aimlessly in his canoe, but the most extraordinary thing that had happened during the storm, was that where once was a wide opening to the bay, now lay what appeared to be a great sleeping figure of a man.
The Great Spirit turned to stone. On a little island at the foot of the Sleeping Giant, can still be seen the partly submerged shafts of what was once the richest silver mine in the northwest.
Canadian legend
Ogopogo, Real or Myth?
In the last years, a lot of large unidentified sea creatures have appeard on ocean surface through the world. Canada's most famous water monster is Ogopogo of Lake Okanagan in the south central interior of British Columbia. Although Native legends talk about a monster living in Okanagan Lake long before white men arrived in this country, Ogopogo is really misterious and curious. Each year, sightings are reported of a creature some 20 to 50 feet long, with a horse shaped head and an undulating serpent like body! Okanagan Lake is about 80 miles long extending from Vernon, in the north, to Penticton, in the south, with the fast growing city of Kelowna, in the centre. Sightings have been reported throughout the length of the lake, but the monster appears to favour an area in the south of Kelowna, in waters near Peachland.
The first recorded sighting by a non-native was by Mrs. John Allison in 1872 and they continue until this day, with many credible and rational people that become absolute believers. Over the ages, legends and first-hand accounts both lead to the conjecture that the lake is not only populated by fish and other common animals!
Native Indian folklore specifically places the lair of the lake monster which they called N'ha-a-itk, or lake demon, at a cave under Squally Point near Rattlesnake Island, which is offshore from Peachland. The Natives always take offerings with them when they go on a canoe near this area, because too often a storm springs up and N'ha-a-itk would rise out of the waters to claim another life!
When white settlers first came to this area in the mid of 1800s, they weren't superstitious, but gradually changed their views troughtout a lot of sightings of the monster. An early instance tells of two horses swimming behind a boat, that were mysteriously pulled beneath the waves and the owner barely saving himself by cutting the rope attached to the horses! Today's sightings, often from modern power boats, indicate a much friendlier monster but still very large in size. It has been filmed a number of times and although a lot of people agree there was something in the water, no absolute conclusions have been made. It is usually reported as dark blue, black or brown with a lighter underside. It can move with astounding speed but many sightings in calm weather have been made of the creature apparently feeding on either fish or aquatic weeds. People very close, between 50 and 100 feet, report seeing fins or feet on the animal.
The Ouimet canyon
Omett was a good giant and helped Nanabijou when he wished to raise a mountain or make a new lake. Omett fell in love with Naiomi, Nanabijou's daughter. Naiomi liked Omett and encouraged him to display his strength.
One day Omett was moving a mountain when a peak broke off, struck Naiomi and killed her. Greatly afraid of the wrath of Nanabijou, Omett hid Naiomi's body in a shallow lake and covered it with a rock shield.
Searching for Naiomi, Nanabijou was striding over the great shield when he felt vibrations from under the rocks. Reaching into the sky, he grasped a thunderbolt and drove it into the rocks, splitting them. In the wide canyon he discovered his daughter's body. Nanabijou buried Naiomi at the bottom of the canyon.
From her grave grew the rare and beautiful flowers found only there. To punish Omett, Nanabijou turned him into a stone and placed him on the canyon wall to watch over the grave for eternity. Looking out across the waters of Thunder Bay, one can see a great land formation situated directly at the mouth of the Bay. It requires no imagination whatever to see that this form resembles the sleeping body of a giant, arms folded across his massive chest as in the majesty of death.
Mystery and legend surround the origin of this strange phenomenon of nature and down through the ages the following story seems to have survived.
The Silver Islet
On an island just outside Thunder Bay, now known as "Isle Royale", once lived a great tribe of Ojibway Natives. Because of their loyalty to their Gods, and their peaceful and industrious mode of living, Nanabijou, the Spirit of the Deep Sea Water, decided to reward them. One day he called their Chief to his great Thunder Temple on the mountain and warned him that if he told the secret to the white man, Nanabijou would be turned to a stone and the Ojibway tribe perish. The Chief gave his promise, and Nanabijou told him of the rich silver mine, now known as "Silver Islet".
The Great Spirit told him to go to the highest point on Thunder Cape, and here he would find the entrance to a tunnel that would lead him to the centre of the mine.
Apparently the Chief and his people found the mine, for the Ojibway became famous for their beautiful silver ornaments.
So beautiful indeed were they, that the Sioux warriors on seeing them upon their wounded enemies, strove to wrest their secret from them. However, torture and even death failed to make the gallant Ojibway divulge their secret and the Sioux chieftains had to devise another scheme to find the source of the Ojibway silver. One day they summoned their most cunning scout and a plan was formed.
The scout was to enter the Ojibway camp disguised as one of them. In a few days succeded in learning the secret of the island of silver. Going to the mine at night he took several large pieces of the precious metal in order to prove to his chieftain that he had fulfilled his mission. The scout however never returned to his camp, for on his way back he stopped at a white traders' post to purchase some food. Having no furs or money with which to pay for the goods, he used a piece of the silver. Seeing such a large piece of the gleaming metal, two white men sought to obtain the whereabouts of its source, in order to make themselves very rich. After filling the Sioux scout with alcohol they persuaded him to show them to the mine.
When almost in sight of "Silver Islet" a terrific storm broke over the Cape. The white men were drowned and the Native was found in a crazed condition floating aimlessly in his canoe, but the most extraordinary thing that had happened during the storm, was that where once was a wide opening to the bay, now lay what appeared to be a great sleeping figure of a man.
The Great Spirit turned to stone. On a little island at the foot of the Sleeping Giant, can still be seen the partly submerged shafts of what was once the richest silver mine in the northwest.
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